Economic Geology

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Formation, distribution and geological occurrences of ore deposits. Topics include a review of mineralogy with an emphasis on ore minerals (important examples include sulfide and oxide ore minerals); igneous petrology with an emphasis on ore-forming igneous processes such as fractional crystallization, magma mixing and liquid immiscibility; ore-forming fluids, fluid-rock interaction and the generation of hydrothermal ore deposits; sedimentology with an emphasis on low-temperature fluids (e.g., ocean water), oxidation-reduction reactions and the formation of ore deposits hosted in sedimentary rocks (e.g., banded iron formations); weathering of rocks and the formation of bauxite and similar ore deposits. These topics will be covered in conjunction with the broader topic of plate tectonics and its control over the geographic distribution of ore deposits, as well as the economic and environmental impact of mineral exploitation. Prerequisites: GEOL 203 ; GEOL 101 and GEOL 102 , or GEOL 104 , or GEOL 150 ; CHEM 119 , or CHEM 107 and CHEM 117 or concurrent enrollment.